The Essence of Summer

Fabs, 2011Ah, summer! A season of childhood memories of playing under the sprinkler on hot summer days, running around barefoot all day and night, listening to the crickets singing as though their hearts (and our ear drums) would burst, eating Sunnyboys – frozen fruit-flavoured treats – on especially sizzling days, but one of my favourite memories is of eating home-grown sweet corn grilled until it blistered, in the back yard under the stars.

These icy treats on my February calendar page epitomise summer, and are painted by artist Joël Penkman in egg tempera on board. He specialises in paintings of food:

‘I love food, and I love to paint, so combining the two seemed like a good idea. It's easy to find a cooperative subject and I like its familiarity, it is something everyone can relate to. It can hold memories, tell stories, explore national and local identity, and make us hungry. Often it will be something sweet as these foods are made to look appealing, filled with artificial colours and pressed into interesting shapes. It is a fun, playful subject.’

Happy February!

~

You can read an interview with Penkman and view galleries of his work on his website joepenkman.com.